ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A man was shot and later charged after breaking into a home in Castle Point in north St. Louis County, according to police.
Andre Farrar III, 27, was charged by the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office with first-degree burglary, first-degree attempted burglary and resisting arrest with a felony. He was being held on a $200,00 cash-only bond.
According to the St. Louis County Police Department, officers were called shortly before 4 a.m. to the 2200 block of Empress Drive for a burglary.
Farrar had unlawfully entered the home and attempted to steal property by throwing it out the window, but was shot by the homeowner, a probable cause statement said. A man and woman who live in the home were inside at the time, Lt. Craig Higginbotham with the St. Louis County Police Department said.
Local attorney Anders Walker told 5 On Your Side that the homeowner was likely well within their rights to open fire.
"In your home, all you need is a reasonable fear that you might get hurt," Walker said. It "doesn't have to be serious. You can shoot."
The suspect then ran from the home past responding officers who were ordering him to stop and stating that he was being placed under arrest, police said. A police K-9 was used to search the area.
A neighbor who has lived in the area for 25 years said he thinks the man likely wasn't expecting anyone to be home since it's often left vacant. The neighbor did not want to talk on-camera due to safety concerns but emphasized that home and car break-ins are a big problem in the area.
One of the officers on the scene called break-ins a persistent issue.
While this case is still under investigation, Walker said that 90% of all burglars have been in the victim's house before.
"They want to be sure there is nobody there, no animals and they don't want to spend a lot of time rifling through stuff," said Walker, who is also a professor of constitutional and criminal law at Saint Louis University. "So oftentimes it's people who have been in your home or apartment in some capacity before. Maybe somebody you know, maybe somebody of friends who you know. Otherwise it's just too dangerous."
Farrar was taken into custody near Chambers Road and Monarch Drive and taken to the hospital in critical condition after being shot.
Police said he remained hospitalized as of Tuesday afternoon. The residents of the home were taken to the police station to speak with officers.
Court documents said he attempted to enter a home in the 10200 block of Pannell Drive a few hours earlier.
Police said Farrar has prior convictions out of St. Louis for burglary.
Investigators went door to door in the area to see if any neighbors had security cameras that might have recorded parts of the incident.
The St. Louis County Police Department said the investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the police department at 636-529-8210 or leave an anonymous tip with CrimeStoppers at 866-371-8477.
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